Process for the activation of clay and manufacture of hydrochloric acid



Dec. 13, 1932. .Q 11E-11G l PHGCESS FOR TBE ACTIVATION OE CLAY AND MANUFACTURE 0F HYDnocnLoRIc ACID Filed June 1. 1931 EUR5 .Bw uou owS MSSS ENTOR CHESTER TIETIG Patented nee. 13, 1932l f UNITED STATI-:gs

PATENT oFFics cnam mme', oir Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA' rnociiss' ir'on 'rais nc'rrvafrroisr or vanni? mnjmimncrunn or' mnocnnonrc om application mea :une 1, iaai. semi xq. 541,3591.

This invention relates to a process by which clay may be activated so as to increase its adsor tive powers, and hydrochloric acid may e manufactured at the saine time. It

..5 has among its objects the production of an activated clay having a. s ecic high decolor.- izing power for oils an the roduction of two grades of hydrochloric aci ar ure grade and an impure ade. Gaseous Cl may also be produce B the practice of my invention, clay may cally in many geographical locations, where otherwise the manufacturer would have to pay heavy freight rates if li uid acid were used. In my process, raw c ay, h drogen, chlorine water and steam are the on y necessa raw materials.

riey stated the invention comprises burning a'jet of hydrogen in an atmosphere of chlorine or vice versa, in the presence of clay particles carried in -a gaseous or vapor stream. I n thisway, gaseous H Cl is orerierated, and this substance attacks the particularly if steam has been injected into the iiame. f The invention will Ybe readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows an apparatus also forming a part of\ the invention. yWhile this apparatus is particularly well adapted to my process, it is to be'understood that the process may be carried out in different apparatus.

In' the drawing, which is a side elevational view, l0 represents a chamber-in` which the combustion takes place. Within the .chamber are a plurality of baes 11 and 12, the fore l mer arising from the floor 13 andthe latter being suspended from the ceiling so as to activated economithru opening 17 in the 'wall of the bin, and thence onto achute 18.-

. Above the bin, near the roof of the chainber is a Water spray or atomizing jet 19 fed from water pipe 20. AIn the rear wall of the chamber there extends a pi e 21in which there is a valve 22 and to whic is connected a steam ejector 23 or acid proof vacuum pump. The exhaust of the steam ejector ump is so arranged that vapor exhausting rom itA may be`.recovered, as indicated by the condensing chamber. 24, the liquid outlet of which is shown at 25. This outlet is the source of the pure hydrochloric acid.

From the bottom of bin'14 apipe 26 extends toa filter 27, thence to a pump 28, thence to a T outlet 29 in whichl there is aI valve 30. A valve 31 isfcarried in the pipe 26 on the far side of" the T. Ulti mate1y,the pipe 26, the pur ose of which is to carry impure, aqueous ydrochloric acid, joins a steampipe 32 and projects into the latter somewhat. The point of junction is after a steam valve 33 and before a raw clay feeding hopper 34.

The outlet pipe 35 ofthe hopper is provided with anauger screw 36, driven by a motor 37, and the entire assembly, except the hopper, preferablyA set at a forward acute angle.

r The steam pipe 32 joins the chamber 10 thru a burner 38, which may be of any construction suitable for the purpose. It may be so arrangedl ithat combustion takes .place inside the burner 38, or inside the chamber 10,

or the burner may be a mere mixing'device,

but in any case `the burner has communication with the chamber. The burner may bear an ignition means (not shown) ,which may be a s ark plug. I Y

he hydrogen and chlorine are supplied to the burner from their respective cylinders or gasometers 39 and 40 thru tubing lines 41 Aand 42'. respectively.

In operation the process functions in this apparatus as follows:

inely ground activatable clay of the bentonite, smectite, fullers earth or montmorily lonite type is supplied to hopper 34. The fineness shouldbe 200 mesh to the inch or over. Steam, preferably highly superheated,' l

is then ti'iriied on in the ejector 23, 'and water into atomizing jet 19. Chlorine is then supplied to the burner and chamber, from which air has been largely exhausted by the action of the steam ejector. Hydrogen is then supplied and the jet of this gas ignited so that the hydrogen burns in an atmosphere of chlorine. Steam yvalve 33 is then opened and steam supplied in limited quantity to the 1 burner 38. Motor 37 is started andclay suplaction of nascent H plied to ipe 32 at a rate to be governed by the spee -of the motor.

The clay activatin action is due to the l on the clay and this l action is assisted by the presence of steam.

`used, but a skilled chemical engineer will be able to make them. v

The clay, together with the H Cl formed, willbe carried over the bales 11 and 12 to a lar extent and in the travel be more thorough y mixed with the h drochloric acid. The bulk of the clay will carried to the back of the chamber and will settle out in bin"14, where it will be washed with the streamof water from spray19. A certain amount of H Cl will dissolve in this water givinggan impure hydrochloric acid after the solution has vremained in vcontact with the clay in the bin. This impure acid will-percolate to pipe 26 b gravity.

H Cl vapors an chlorine, if any, will be drawn thru pipe 21 by the suction of thel steam ejector. Passage of clay particles throu h this pipe will be prevented b a suitter over the outlet 'of the c amber.` Since this va oras such will not carry'imable i purities disso ved out of the clay, it will consequently be very pure when h drated by the steam o the steam ejector an subsequently condensed. v

When a suitable quantity of active clay has accumulated in bin 14,` motor 16 isv startedand o erated at such a speed as to remove the clay rom the bin as fast as deposited. Clay which has not reached bin 14 may be removed from between bailles 12 by any suitable mechanical or manual means by doors in the chamber (not shown). Bales 12 may lbe erforated near the bottom to allow conensed hydrochloric acid to flow to bin 14.

The impure acid solution which collects in bin 14 may either be returned tothe burner 38 by injection into the steam supply therefor,

or it lmay be taken out 'of the ap aratus and sold commercially. Itis first tered thru ilter27, then pumped by pump 28 either back to steam pipe 82 or else, by closing valve 31 and opemn valve 30, ejected from the system. If fe back for re-use in activation, the projection of pipe 26 into pipe 32 materially assists in atomzing the acid. It is evident that in this apparatus and process only a com- `paratively small supply of new H Cl need be manufactured. The return thru the system is really a means of purifying some of the impure acid.

The product from bin 14 is preferably given several water washes if it is 'to be used on animal or vegetable oils, but for mineral oils and waxes it may remain acid. For organic oils it isA preferably used dry; for mineral oils it ma be used wet.

My processen apparatus is not limited to use in making new activated clay, but mayb be used in the same manner to revivify spent" cla or treat a mixture of raw and spent clay.

return pipe and gas pump may be provided between the condenser 24 and the chamber 10 so that any chlorine or hydrogen drawn out of the chamber 10 thru the pipe 21A into the condenser 24 may be returned from thence tothe chamberlO, where it may again talre part inthe H Cl' forming reaction. Such a pi e and pumps will not usually be necessary owever.

With certain kinds of clay it is not always necessary that steam should be injected into the flame, since some clays will stand high temperatures without glazing.

` I am aware theta bleaching eiect isy realized upon any material of generally similar characteristics to the clay which is put in kieselguhr, asbestos, fire clays and like materials to my process and to get a bleaching effect and iron removing eifect,even if any activating effect be absent.

I claim as my invention:

1.- The highmelt1ng solid mineral material, which com rises injecting material into the iiame pro uced by burning hydrogen and chlorine, ,1115,

together. 2. The high-melting solid mineral material, which `comprises,injecting said material withthe process of treating finely divided -place of the clay in my process. .In consequence, 1t 11es within the purview of my in-y vention to so-substitute finely divided barytes, i y

'im process of treatingv finely divided aid of steam into the llame produced by.,

burning hydrogen and chlorine together.

3. A process, according to claim 2, in which the steam'is highly superheated. i y 4. The process of activating clay and making hydrochloric acid, which comprises burn-` I ing together hydrogen and chlorine in the presence-of a gaseous suspension.. of an activatable clay.

5. The process of activating clay and making hydrochloric acid simultaneously, which comprises burning 'a mixture of hydrogen" and chlorine together in the presence of aqueoils vapor end of finely divided activatable c ay.

6. The rocess of activating clay, which comprises urning `together' a mixture of hydrogen and chlorine Vin the presence in the flame of a suspension of a smectite clay in a current of steam, and then subjecting the residues of combustion to the presence of addilo tlonal aqueous vapor so that the clay is subjected to contact with liquid hydrochloric 7. The process of simultaneousl bleacht ing and/or activating finely divi ed high- 15 melting mineral materials, which comprises injecting said materials into a flame produced by a burning mixture of hydrogen and chlorine, adding water to the reaction products while they are'still gaseous and /or in gaseous so suspension, allowing the clay particles to settle substantially and drawing olf such acid vapors as remain uncondensed from a point above which the clay has settled.

8. A process according to claim 7 in which l the clay is injected into the flame while in suspension in steam.

9. The process which comprises burning hydrogen in an atmosphere of chlorine, injecting into the flame a suspension of an acti- 30 vatable clay in steam, allowing the'clay to subsequently settle out of the combustion products, hydrating a substantial proportion 'of the lseous H Cl formed, allowing contact of e hydrated a'cid with the settled'clay,

35 removin the unhydrated H Cl and the hydrated Cl separately andreturnin a substantial proportion of the hydrated Cl to the current of steam in which the c'lay is to be sus ended.

- l4l) testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 19th day of May, 1931.- y

CHESTER TIETIG. y 

